PHOENIX — A proposal allowing Arizona police to arrest and state judges to deport people who entered the country illegally was approved by a state Senate committee on Wednesday
The vote came despite testimony that such a law would run afoul of U.S. Supreme Court precedent that says only the federal government can enforce immigration laws. That ruling struck down key parts of Arizona’s Senate Bill 1070 more than a decade ago.
Republicans on the panel unanimously approved Senate Bill 1231 while all Democrats opposed the measure.
The sponsor of the bill, Sen. Janae Shamp, R-Surprise, argued her measure is not about immigration but it aimed at protecting Arizona from what she called “an invasion.”
“There are not any portions of (SB1070) in this bill, because this bill’s not about immigration and that bill was,” Shamp said. “This is just saying you can’t come into our state unless you come through a lawful port of entry.”
The bill is modeled after a Texas law enacted last year, Senate Bill 4, that has already prompted the U.S. Justice Department to sue the state. The Justice Department specifically referred to the Supreme Court’s decision in the federal government’s challenge to SB1070.